1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a courtesy lamp and a courtesy logo lamp, which are lighting fixtures to be installed in a door of a vehicle, the courtesy lamp and the courtesy logo lamp enabling provision of a wide light-emitting surface without using a large-size light guide while ensuring flexibility in controlling a radiation direction and/or a radiation range of courtesy lamp light.
2. Description of the Related Art
A courtesy lamp is a lighting fixture installed in a part on the interior side of a vehicle door, and when the door is open, is turned on and thereby serves to illuminate the feet of a person getting on or off the vehicle and urge following vehicles to take precautions, e.g., at night. Also, a courtesy logo lamp is a lighting fixture resulting from incorporating and thereby integrating what is called a logo lamp that projects an image of, e.g., a logo representing a vehicle brand name on the ground around the vehicle, in a courtesy lamp. A common courtesy lamp that is conventionally in practical use is one formed by just covering a light source by an outer lens provided with, e.g., lens cuts. However, a courtesy lamp having such structure is poor in flexibility in controlling a radiation direction and/or a radiation range of courtesy lamp light. Examples of conventional courtesy lamps having enhanced flexibility in controlling a radiation direction and/or a radiation range of courtesy lamp light include one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-030336. This courtesy lamp is configured to guide light from a light source via a light guide plate to radiate the light to the outside in an arbitrary direction.
Example of conventional courtesy logo lamps includes one described in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3168083. This courtesy logo lamp has a structure in which a light source for a courtesy lamp and a logo lamp module (that is, one resulting from components of a logo lamp being partly or fully assembled and unitized) are divided by a partition sheet.
Courtesy lamps need to include a light-emitting surface having a certain wide degree of width so as to look prominent as viewed from following vehicles. The courtesy lamp described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-030336 includes a wide light-emitting surface and thus needs a large-size light guide plate. Also, the courtesy logo lamp described in Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3168083 is poor in flexibility in controlling a radiation direction and/or a radiation range of courtesy lamp light. Therefore, there is a problem of interference between light of an image of, e,g., a logo and courtesy lamp light, resulting in blurring of the image of, e.g., a logo. In order to solve this problem, a partition sheet is essential.
This invention solves the aforementioned problems in the conventional techniques and provides a courtesy lamp and a courtesy logo lamp configured so as to provide a wide light-emitting surface without using a large-size light guide while ensuring flexibility in controlling a radiation direction and/or a radiation range of courtesy lamp light.